Inland Seas Education Association

Sail aboard the 77’ schooner Inland Seas on Grand Traverse Bay. This ship is designed specifically for learning about the Great Lakes ecosystem. Become a scientist as you trawl for fish, collect plankton, sample the lake bottom, test the water quality, collect microplastic samples, and much more. You can also become a sailor as you raise the sails and steer the ship!

Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire Great Lakes curiosity, stewardship, and passion. Through shipboard and on-shore experiences, public understanding and stewardship of the Great Lakes is enhanced.

To learn about the Great Lakes from shore, visit the Captain Thomas M. Kelly Biological Station in Suttons Bay. Interact with the learning stations about the Great Lakes food web and invasive species, crawl through the benthos tunnel, explore the Great Lakes watershed on the giant Our Inland Seas mural, look at live fish in the aquariums, touch zebra and quagga mussels and crayfish in the touch tank, and gaze at the zebra mussel bike hanging from the ceiling. Admission is free. Our hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.